


meet me in the middle

by somhiuld



Category: NJTTW, SECHSKIES (Band), Winner (Band), 신서유기 | New Journey To The West (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Canon Universe, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Surprise Ending, Surprise Pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 18:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16792306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somhiuld/pseuds/somhiuld
Summary: Jiwon learns his capacity for affection, in a rather surprising way.





	meet me in the middle

**Author's Note:**

> took many creative liberties with this, especially with timelines and locations. also, uh idk how many people like 'surprise pairings', but hope you enjoy, lol.

Minho enters his life one summer’s morning, along with three other boys, eyes obscured by their caps, properly standing in line and bowing at a perfect right angle the way they’d been trained. Their voices are clear although their faces aren’t. It is only when he stands up, that Jiwon sees his face clearly, and somehow, something hits him.

It’s something in his eyes, like something burning, and it’s familiar. It’s just like his own, all those years ago when he returned to the country his family called home. He recognizes that drive immediately, wanting to succeed, to hone his craft like a sharpened blade, believing that nobody could touch him and that he was unstoppable.

“I’m Minho,” the boy says, voice low and distinct. Yet somehow, there’s a tinge of rebel in him too, when Jiwon sees the piercings lining his ear. He smiles, both conveying that he’s a warm senior, and his amusement towards this boy that resembles him so.

Jiwon makes sure to remember him. He’s received so many greetings from so many young and fresh faces over the years, that it’s become all a blur to him. But this one is different, he thinks. Something both fresh and familiar, that evokes in him this odd mix of things, of nostalgia and affection.

They do get opportunities to meet, thankfully, both behind the scenes and on screen. Jiwon makes sure to call him _Minho-ya_ in a particularly warm way that makes Minho grin a little goofily and he replies, yes, sunbaenim, and for the longest time that’s what Minho calls him, because it’s only right considering in the music world, they’re generations apart, and it’s polite. But Jiwon thinks that it feels a little distant for his liking.

It is when they’re filming New Journey to the West together that things get to shift a little, and on hindsight, Jiwon is all the more thankful for it. They get to spend more time together, and in between the shoot they do talk. Everything is such a rush during the shoot that there’s barely time for anything else. So in whatever pockets of time they have, Jiwon asks Minho about his background, learns more about him and shares his own stories and experiences. Minho takes it all like a sponge to water.

And it is during a quick moment where they’re filming, where Minho calls out, _Jiwon-hyung_ , and Jiwon widens his eyes in surprise, but manages to reply, oh, yeah, Minho and there’s a tug in his heart. It’s that same feeling creeping up again. That familiarity. Later, Jiwon ruffles Minho’s hair playfully, but it’s affectionate.

Things get a lot more comfortable after that, and they somehow exchange each other’s numbers somewhere down the line. Jiwon can’t remember if it was for work, or just because, but it’s fine. He texts simple things to Minho, who replies with a few cheerful, earnest lines and the occasional cute emoji.

At some point, Jiwon questioned himself, _what is he doing,_ and why. Is it just to bide his time? Or is it because he sees a lot of his old self in Minho, that he’s so drawn to that familiarity? _Or is it something more?_

That thought startled Jiwon. It wasn’t just that they were years apart, but somehow Minho had become precious to Jiwon and he didn’t want to ruin things because of his selfishness. He had asked Minho out to eat, and treated him a few times too; playing the kind senior well as he did all these years.

Jiwon opened his eyes, recognized the familiar, and before he knew it, his heart had made a little space for Song Minho. And it utterly frightened and thrilled him all at once.

So Jiwon decided to do the right thing, and tried to compress it into a box in his mind. He was good at not letting his real feelings show. He masked it with his usual playfulness and occasional show of hyung-dongsaeng affection whenever Minho did well in a game, or when Minho seemed tired out from a hectic schedule of activity.

But it is one night, when they are in another far off place shooting, when he’s put to the test. It’s way past lights out time, and Jiwon is only lightly sleeping. For some reason, his sleep was a little disrupted that night.

He heard some rustling and he narrowed his eyes at the figure. He briefly wondered if it was a ghost of some sorts, considering how old the building they were in for the night was. But he brushed aside the thought, thinking it was more likely to be a staff member doing some last minute packing. But then he heard mumbling, and it was a familiar voice.

“Minho?” Jiwon grunted, voice raspy from lack of sleep. The figure flinched, and drew closer to where Jiwon was on the bed. “Oh—hyung, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I was just looking for my uh, thing…” Mino whispered, his voice trailing off. “D’you need help?” Jiwon asked, ready to sit up. “N—no, just go back to sleep—”

“You can’t sleep, right?” Jiwon asked, and Minho froze. In the darkness, save for the dimmed light of Minho’s phone that he was using as a flashlight, Jiwon was relieved that Minho couldn’t see the smile that was slowly creeping onto his face. In his younger days, he had a similar habit when insomnia hit him, try to occupy his mind with menial tasks.

“C’mere,” Jiwon murmured, shuffling on the bed. Sugeun was already fast asleep on the next bed. Jiwon could see Minho hesitating. “Don’t worry about it,” Jiwon said, voice warm. Minho gradually stood, and walked slowly towards him, climbing onto the bed and shifting to the empty side of the bed. He turned away from Jiwon, and quickly muttered a “goodnight, hyung.” Jiwon stared at Minho’s back. From where he looked, Minho looked small and scared. Jiwon felt his heart swell with affection, and he decided, well, caution to the wind out the window. He shifted himself, close to Minho’s back, and started patting the side of his arm soothingly.

Jiwon wasn’t exactly sure when, but Minho turned over to face him, and shuffled closer, Jiwon’s hand still on his arm. So Jiwon curled his arm around him, and soon enough, both were lost to sleep.

They didn’t talk about it the next morning, for Minho had left when Jiwon had gotten up, probably to start on the morning mission first. There was nothing to talk about, really, but Jiwon felt something in the pit of his stomach, something stirring. It was just Minho sharing that space for that brief period of time. Nothing that Jiwon wasn’t unaccustomed to.

Minho didn’t seem bothered by it either. They went through the day as per normal, and Minho was his usual self, occasionally orbiting around Jiwon as he did. Jiwon was aware of the younger’s admiration; the way he’d watch him with fascination, as he spoke at the press conferences, how he’d shadow him from time to time, enthusiastically high-fiving when he did well. Sometimes he’d even sneak in a hug from the side. But it seemed that it’d grown in frequency ever since that night, where Jiwon had allowed Minho into his space.

There was no doubt about it. Minho was growing on Jiwon, just as he’d become someone that Minho wanted to orbit around. Things like that for a while, Minho seeming to play the role of the adoring dongsaeng well, and Jiwon the experienced older hyung that he’d follow closely.

Eventually they found themselves increasingly in the proximity of each other in between filming, where there were pockets of break time. Minho would be leaning on Jiwon, Jiwon not seeming to mind, sometimes an arm sneaking behind around his shoulder. “You look so comfortable,” Sugeun would joke, laughing at the two of them lazing, as if glued together. And he was right, that’s what it was. _Comfortable._

Minho seemed to like the comfort part a lot. He seemed to be lowering his guard little by little with Jiwon, smiling a lot more, being more unabashed in his skinship towards Jiwon. Not that Jiwon minded one bit. He simply allowed it, allowed Minho’s expression of affection to collide like a strong boulder against another.

They were getting closer and closer, and things would evolve once more, one night when they’re at a pension for filming. It’s long after dinner and they’re done for the day, the lights are dimmed, but only the two of them are staying up just to talk, continuing their conversation they had from just after dinner. Their mattresses were next to each other, Minho lying in a comfortable recline, Jiwon lying flat on the mattress.

Somewhere along the line, Jiwon turns to look up at Minho, who looks at him curiously. Jiwon has a pensive look on his face, eyes not leaving Minho’s. Minho feels sheepish at the sudden intensity of his gaze, and moves back a little, widening the space between them.

Jiwon moves his hand to brush Minho’s hair from his face, driven by some unknown force, a mixture of affection, protectiveness, and something else he has yet to place his finger on. His gaze turns soft, and Minho looks away, face feeling warm.

“Look at me,” Jiwon murmurs, and Minho does just that, and he’s caught off guard when Jiwon slides closer and places his lips to Minho’s forehead, a quick, chaste kiss. Minho’s eyes widen, he feels his heart accelerating to new speeds, and he freezes in place, even as Jiwon pulls away.

Minho purses his lips, eyes affixed on Jiwon, whose eyes are darting, searching his own, as if searching for an answer. _Talk to me, say something, anything._ Minho is hesitant, feeling as if his mind has been erased from that action. His heart feels as if it might jump from his ribs at any moment, but something in his mind tells him to follow up.

He leans in, eyes fluttering shut, and kisses the side of Jiwon’s mouth. It’s gentle, it’s not hurried, nor is there any desperation to head anywhere with it. Jiwon blinks as they part. His thumb slowly traces the side of his mouth, as if tracing the path Minho left behind.

It is this very moment that Jiwon knows for sure that he’s left his heart in the palm of Minho’s hand, but for some reason something tells him that _it’s okay_.

And Jiwon shows him how really okay it all is, and leans in once more, and again, and again.

They fall into a comfortable pace after that, just taking things at their own speed. Both are starkly aware of their busy lives, and certain things just force them to be apart at times. They do talk about it, Jiwon a little more worried for Minho, the latter being the younger, wondering if he needs to give some sort of reassurance, that everything was going to be fine. But Minho seems to be standing solidly on both his feet, still beaming at him that same adoring way, and Jiwon can’t help but respond with a toothy grin.

However, the cosmos seem to have something else in store for them.

P.O, or rather, _Jihoon_ , comes into Jiwon’s life, on another balmy day. Sugeun is surprised, you know who he is? and Jiwon says of course, he’s observed him from the start, to which Jihoon responds with a blinding grin. He sticks by Minho, and the others learn that they’ve been acquainted a very long time.

Jihoon takes to the group like wood to fire. His affable nature makes him adapt rather easily, and though he’s not necessarily great at the games, he does his best to get along with the others, and they respond well in return, encouraging him and giving him great reactions, much to his joy.

Interestingly, he seemed to be orbiting around Jiwon too. And Jiwon is once more hit with that feeling of familiarity, how history appears to be repeating itself. But Jiwon can’t blame him, no one really knows about him and Minho, or at least not yet, or perhaps they’ve already picked up on it, and are graciously pretending otherwise. So in the beginning, he allows it. He lets Jihoon into his space, Jihoon who expresses himself with colliding hugs, arms that would wrap around him warmly, smiles warm.

If Minho was like the gradual warmth of a rising sun, Jihoon is a cool, refreshing wave crashing onto him.

But Jiwon can’t help but look in the corner of his eye, to check for Minho’s reaction. Strangely, Minho wasn’t reacting much. Jiwon wonders if it’s the presence of cameras or something else on his mind, or he’s trained the control of his expressions so well.

A feeling of uneasiness grows in Jiwon. That Minho isn’t saying anything about what’s been visibly happening between him and Jihoon—that escalation of skinship which took time for them to reach, yet somehow with Jihoon there is greater ease, nudges at him.

So it’s one night where Jiwon finds himself having trouble falling asleep, and he heads to the dimly lit kitchen of the house that they’ve rented for their stay during filming. He pours himself some water, and a familiar voice comes up from behind him, nearly causing him to spill the glass.

“Can’t sleep?” Minho half smiles, hair a little unkempt even with the headband pulling it back. Jiwon clears his throat, sipping his water. “You okay? You seem to be a little...listless of late,” Minho remarks, brow furrowed, the concern evident on his face.

“It’s…” and Jiwon pauses. He wonders if he should brush his concern aside, or he should just lay it out plainly for Minho. “Well, it’s kind of about your friend,” Jiwon starts, and of course Minho knows what exactly he’s alluding to. “Ah, Jihoon,” Minho nods simply. “Is there something up?”

“Well, we’ve uh, been getting...close,” Jiwon says carefully, trying to gauge Minho’s reaction. Minho’s expression doesn’t seem to rise or fall, and Jiwon wonders if it’s a good sign or not. Minho simply nods in response. “I can see that,” Minho says and Jiwon is ready for Minho to fire something back, but to his great confusion Minho continues, “Is it...a problem?” Jiwon stares back at him, confusion growing.

“He knows, y’know,” Minho says simply, and Jiwon heaves a sigh of relief. Now it made sense. With how close the two were, of course it made sense for Jihoon to know the ins and outs of Minho’s life.

“Are you worried, hyung? About me?” Minho smirks, moving closer to stand right in front of Jiwon. Minho crooks his neck, gaze warm. “I’m not worried about us.” “Then, that’s good,” Jiwon mumbles, a little awkwardly. “I was starting to worry a bit, about how you’d feel.” Minho chuckles. “Hyung,” he says simply, hooking his arms around Jiwon’s waist, and that one word seemed to convey more than an entire sentence of thanks could.

Us. That sounded nice, when Jiwon thought more about it. Although they never really had a formal conversation on well, them, there seemed to be some concrete understanding that they reached. Yet at the same time, Jiwon couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Minho might talk to Jihoon, perhaps something along the lines of boundaries, in the near future.

However even after that, Jihoon continued as he was, unabashed in his displays of affection. Occasionally Jiwon would sneak glances over at Minho, curious about his reactions to all of it. But again, Minho didn’t seem fazed, and continued to act as he always did. Of course, when he had the opportunity to, he would still shower Jiwon with affection. Jiwon couldn’t tell if he was trying to make a point, or that strangely, he was fine with it.

He did, however, catch Minho whispering to Jihoon here and there when the cameras weren’t rolling, and had a good hunch that they weren’t talking about anything related to the show. From time to time, he caught Minho’s glance, and the younger would shoot him a knowing smile.

Sometimes, the two would sneak off somewhere, exploding in sudden fits of giggles, which made Jiwon even more confused at the whole situation. He wondered if they were just sharing their inside jokes, or they were sharing bawdy jokes, or Minho was swooning about him to Jihoon.

Jiwon couldn’t help but feel a slight tug in his chest. He was well aware that Minho and Jihoon had a decade between them, of shared experiences, highs and lows, growing up together. There was this unspoken nuance between them that couldn’t be denied, that sometimes they didn’t need words.

Jiwon didn’t want to admit it, but he envied that. He chided himself mentally, _you’re already at this age, and you’re having feelings like this._ He wanted, well, that, whatever that special pull was that the two younger ones had, built over a span of years. He made a mental note to make sure he maximised the time he had with Minho as much as possible. Perhaps, to some extent, with Jihoon as well. Being around them seemed to give him more energy, and he did feel happier too.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and they were just hanging out in one the rooms one evening, Minho settled in Jiwon’s lap on the bed. Minho was lazily running his fingers through Jiwon’s hair, while Jiwon had his arms around Minho’s waist, while staring into blank space. They had some time before their break was over, and being able to steal these little moments, away from curious eyes, was precious to them.

“What’s on your mind?” Minho whispered, lips ghosting over Jiwon’s ear. Jiwon fidgeted at the sudden movement. Jiwon mumbled something incomprehensible, and Minho chuckled. “There can’t be nothing in there, hyung,” he remarked mischievously, softly tapping Jiwon on the tip of his nose. Jiwon wrinkled his nose, and Minho placed a quick peck to his cheek.

“It’s just...you…” “I what?” Minho asked, his tone curious but with a hint of playfulness. “You seem, uh, awfully okay with all of, well, this.”

“You mean you and Jihoon,” Minho murmured, brushing Jiwon’s hair back with his hand. Although he knew he shouldn’t feel that way, Minho’s bluntness over it all surprised him.

“I told you, it’s okay,” Minho continued, the corner of his lips curling into a smirk. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.” Jiwon took Minho by the wrist. “Then why can’t I help feeling that you gave him some sort of talk?” Minho laughed loudly, and Jiwon narrowed his eyebrows to shush him, in case the others might hear. “Actually, now that you say it, I did.” Minho beamed.

“We talked about, uh…” here Minho hesitated, scratching the back of his head. “Go ahead, you don’t have to give a whole teaser trailer,” Jiwon huffed, feeling all the suspense was unnecessary.

“We talked about, well, sharing.”

“Sharing? Sharing what?”

Minho’s cheeks flushed red, and Jiwon thought he resembled Hodong’s watermelon face paint.

_“Y-you.”_

Jiwon choked, and he nearly caused Minho to fall out of his lap. Thankfully, Minho had quick reflexes, and steadied himself with one arm on the comforter. “What was that about?” Minho blurted, feeling a little dizzy.

“Y-you...you don’t just talk about things like that so casually! What’s this about sharing? I’m not a bag of snacks, you know,” Jiwon was starting to go into one of his bouts of nagging again, and Minho internally rolled his eyes. “Well, you’re very irresistible, hyung!” Minho replied indignantly. “People do notice that about you, you know.”

“That doesn’t mean that it automatically means ‘we’ can evolve into something else!” Jiwon grumbled, poking Minho in the chest. “Hyung...” Minho drawled, and Jiwon knew that he was using his ‘cutesy’ voice on him. He was determined to not allow it to work.

“I know you like him too, hyung,” Minho teased, a shit-eating grin on his face. Jiwon did not like that expression one bit. “I know you do like it when he comes to you, hugs you, takes your hand. I’m not blind to how you respond, you know. In fact almost the same as what you do to me.”

“Well, other people would be jealous…” Jiwon mumbled, but was stopped with Minho’s index finger to his lips. “Jihoon’s one of my closest friends. I wouldn’t be okay with just anyone, you know.”

“It’s exactly why I think you wouldn’t be okay with it,” Jiwon furrowed his brow. “C’mon, hyung, it’s really okay,” Minho pouted, bouncing a little. Jiwon rolled his eyes at the younger’s attempts to persuade him.

Jiwon thought about it again, and unfortunately for him, Minho was right about his subconscious feelings toward Jihoon. He couldn’t deny that he felt affection for Jihoon too, and it was parallel to what he felt for Minho too. He thought about how he felt about that special thing that Minho and Jihoon had, built over a span of time, and how he really wanted it too, or at least to experience what it was like.

He wondered if Minho could tell what he was thinking, during those times where he snuck glances at the two of them, whether the look in his eyes was obvious, that maybe, he wanted what they had, or at least a semblance of it, and maybe more.

 _This is crazy,_ Jiwon thought. _But maybe it just might work, if we worked at it._

“Well…” Jiwon started, and Minho’s eyes widened in anticipation. “I guess it is, but we have to take a raincheck and have a good talk about this. Later.” Minho responded with a glowing smile, one that he knew Jiwon adored, and Jiwon couldn’t help but smile goofily in response.

“That’s good with me too,” Minho murmured, closing the distance between them once more.

Days and weeks passed, and as time flowed on, the three drew closer and closer. Now, during break times, it wasn’t just Minho and Jiwon who could be found lazing at some spot, seemingly glued together. Now Jihoon was added to that little mix as well.

The others would walk past them, amused at the spectacle, finding it amusing how the cute younger ones would orbit around their hyung, and how the hyung who nagged at times and seemed like a grumpy old man allowed them into his space.

In the evenings, some things changed too. Minho would sometimes sneak in when he had more difficulty sleeping some nights, slipping next to Jiwon, but there were times where he wasn’t alone as well. Jiwon would grumble inaudibly, the bed space becoming more cramped than usual, but he obliged, feeling the space becoming increasingly warm, as each rested on either side of him.

It was helpful for Jiwon too, on nights where his old sleeping habit manifested itself. Either one of them would take it upon themselves to help put him back in a more comfortable sleeping position. It was nice to wake up and not feel sore all over, and he couldn’t complain about the view in the morning, two peaceful, handsome faces on either side.

It’s a cooling morning, a little different from when Jiwon first properly met Song Minho and Pyo Jihoon, when he’s awoken by the two overly excited younger ones, practically bouncing off the floor.

“Hyung, it’s a nice morning, come see the sunrise with us,” Minho grinned, tugging on Jiwon’s arm.

“C’mon, hyung, or we’ll miss it. I wanna take photos too,” Jihoon whispered, tapping excitedly on Jiwon’s knee.

Jiwon grunted, pulling himself to a an upright position. Minho immediately patted down Jiwon’s hair, which seemed to take a life of its own in the mornings. Minho took Jiwon’s left hand, and Jihoon Jiwon’s right, as they scampered towards the stairs to the rooftop of the house they were in.

“Take it easy, my knees,” Jiwon muttered, as they rushed upwards, and they slowed down, looking concerned. “Do you need a piggyback, hyung?” Jihoon asked, brows furrowed. Jiwon responded with a sleepy half-smile. “You might break your back, Jihoon.” Jihoon laughed, that particular way he did when he was genuinely amused by Jiwon, and Jiwon felt a warmth grow in his heart, seeing how pure Jihoon’s responses to whatever he did were.

They finally made it to the roof, after some mild difficulty. It was breezy and the sky was clear. There was a little couch on the roof, and they let Jiwon sit. Jihoon hugged Jiwon from behind, his arms snaking around Jiwon’s neck, while Minho made himself comfortable on the couch, lying in Jiwon’s lap.

The sun started to reveal itself, little by little, and the other two stirred in excitement, both calling out, _hyung, look, hyung, it’s the sunrise, isn’t it lovely, hyung?_

Jiwon grinned toothily. It felt like an almost perfect, picturesque moment, and he wanted to capture this for as long as he could. He looked up at Jihoon, and then down at Minho, and both flashed back brilliant smiles, eyes filled with affection, and Jiwon wondered how his heart could have so much capacity for affection for these two rascals who somehow snuck in, and made room where he thought wasn’t possible.

As the morning sun took its place in the sky, settling into where it was meant to be, Jiwon thought, he could definitely get very used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> [title](https://youtu.be/Lj6Y6JCu-l4)


End file.
